World Upside Down

4517 Longworth Drive

Orlando FL 32812
www.worldupsidedown.org

Name of Recipient
Foundation
Recipient Address
August 20, 2016

Dear Recipient Name,

My name is Joanna Puello, and I am the CEO of World Upside Down. I am delighted to present a
new arts project entitled The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe Video Class Series to the [NAME
OF
FOUNDATION]
for
your
funding
consideration.
Mission
World Upside Downs mission is to provide arts education accessible and affordable for K-12
educators. We are striving to build a complete K-12 curriculum of interactive video classes
which cover music, visual arts, dance, and theater that teachers can access online. These online
courses, which are free of charge, are to be integrated within classes and/or after-school
programs. Our organization is focused on providing rich arts education taught by some of the
regions finest art instructors.
Project
Description
We are raising funds to create a series of video classes that will guide teachers through the
process of producing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for middle school students. Cindy
Lowa, the middle school theater arts teacher at Windermere Preparatory School, will be
producing the play next year at her school, and we will partner with her and Full Sail University
interns to create a series of video classes that will walk theater instructors through the entire
production process. The classes will cover character development, acting techniques, set design,
lighting, costumes, tech skills, and performance, training both teachers and students on how to
successfully complete all aspects of the production. We are excited to create this resource for our
partner schools and after-school programs in the local community so teachers can help students
be part of this wonderful play. Teachers will be able to use this video series completely free of
charge. We will provide all of our current partners with online access to the videos and promote
the series among other area schools, so the maximum number of teachers and students can
benefit from this resource. Like our previous theater class, the videos in this series will be taught
by Cindy Lowa, a certified arts instructor, and will align with the National Coalition for Core
Arts Standards.

www.worldupisdedown.org

4517 Longworth Drive, Orlando FL, 32812

Tel. 407-401-1568

World Upside Down

4517 Longworth Drive
Orlando FL 32812
www.worldupsidedown.org

Need
Statement
The Department of Florida Education reports that 3.7% of students K-12 participated in theater
classes in 2015-16. Because of budget limitations, most elementary and middle schools limit
their arts education programs to music and/or visual arts. We can help these schools expand their
arts program by providing teachers with a repertoire of theater video classes they can integrate
into their regular school curriculum or into their after school program absolutely free of charge.
In addition, we can assist schools with a beginning theater program by providing a robust
repertoire of resources for professional development and instruction for the novice theater
instructor.
Project Goals
To provide 50+ schools and after-school programs in Central Florida with a
theater video series class which teachers can use to produce The Lion, Witch, and the
Wardrobe play
To collaborate with student interns from Full Sail University and University of
Central Florida in order to film the video classes
To partner with certified theater teachers in the creation of the video classes to
ensure alignment with National Coalition for Core Arts Standards
More information about our organizations history can be found on page 3.
Should you find our programming compatible with your funding interests, please consider this a
formal request for all relevant proposal guidelines, application procedures and deadlines for your
next funding cycle. If you require any further information regarding my request, please do not
hesitate to contact me at 407-401-1568, wudgrants@gmail.com.
Thank you for your consideration and your time. I look forward to your response.

Joanna Puello
CEO
407-401-1568
wudgrants@gmail.com

www.worldupisdedown.org

4517 Longworth Drive, Orlando FL, 32812

Tel. 407-401-1568

World Upside Down

4517 Longworth Drive
Orlando FL 32812
www.worldupsidedown.org

Organizational History
Year

Accomplishments

2016

-Partnered with the Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE) for a grant
proposal to the National Endowment of the Arts (2017-18) and to administer their
CPalms grant funds by creating music lesson plans and video classes (2016-17).
-Produced a testimonial video, entitled A Better Way to a Brighter Future, which
tells the story of a fifth-grade student in Orlando who took her first-ever theater
class through World Upside Down. Featuring the student and her teacher, this video
shows the positive impact our arts classes can have in students lives.
-Expanded internship program to students from University of Central Florida, Full
Sail University, and the University of South Florida: 16 till date.
-Test piloted theater class: 3 new schools, 178 students and secured commitment to
participate from 5 new schools and the After Schools Program LLC (ASP)

2015

-Obtained 501c3 status on January 12, 2015.

-Explored potential video production grant in the Dominican Republic with film
producer Fernando Baez under the Ley de Cine grant.
-Established internship program for students from Full Sail University: 5.
-Test piloted theater class: 1 school, 35 students

2014

-Launched the www.worldupsidedown.org website and first fundraising campaign.

-Produced first video class in theater with Ana McCarty from Full Sail University
and Cindy Lowa, theater instructor.
-Obtained endorsement from Julie Young (founder of Florida Virtual School) and
Kathleen, Kat Gordon (School Board Vice Chair, District 5).

2013

-World Upside Down, Inc. incorporated on March 21, 2013.

-Non-profit application submitted in October of 2013.
-Logo created and social media channels for Facebook and Twitter opened.

2010-11

-Joanna Puello and Jerusha Liranzo partnered to produce 40 non-professional video

classes in music, dance, visual arts, and theater, and test piloted them in two
schools in the Dominican Republic as a part of their Action Research Project for
their MS Instructional Design program at Full Sail University. Data results, project
summary, and testimonials from partner schools can be found on the website.

www.worldupisdedown.org

4517 Longworth Drive, Orlando FL, 32812

Tel. 407-401-1568

World Upside Down

4517 Longworth Drive
Orlando FL 32812
www.worldupsidedown.org

www.worldupisdedown.org

4517 Longworth Drive, Orlando FL, 32812

Tel. 407-401-1568